


Hold On

by flintbastian



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Cinderella Trope kinda, Dancey Lance, F/M, Flirting Paladins, Set in current universe, Tiny little violence but its not the worst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-19 11:38:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13703694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flintbastian/pseuds/flintbastian
Summary: Lance has assumed that since they had found Matt, that Pidge would refuse to leave his side ever again. It was an easy assumption; all Pidge had wanted from the start was to find her family. It was a pleasant surprise that finding Matt, easily persuading him to join the team, seemed to reinvigorate her passion towards Voltron. Now on to the next adventure.





	Hold On

**Author's Note:**

> A friend requested a Pidgance fic, so this is for her. Unbetaed so I apologize for grammatical errors. Please let me know what you think, I worked way too hard on it.

Lance has assumed that since they had found Matt, that Pidge would refuse to leave his side ever again. It was an easy assumption; all Pidge had wanted from the start was to find her family. It was a pleasant surprise that finding Matt, easily persuading him to join the team, seemed to reinvigorate her passion towards Voltron. She wanted to show Matt everything, get his input on her ideas and see how he would approach a lot of the projects she’d given up on. Matt had worked with medics while working with the rebel forces, so he quickly slotted into the team as a medic and helping Pidge and Hunk with mechanic and hacking work. 

Lance had worried their late night game sessions would be stopped or staggered, instead more often than night he woke up with the death screen music playing quietly across from them, Pidge passed out with her head on his shoulder in the pillow nest they’d made for comforts safe. The first few times, Lance had made it a point to wake her up, carrying her piggy back to her room before crashing into his own bed. But more and more it was easier to just pull a blanket over them and snuggle into the makeshift nest, waking up to Pidge usually gone to the kitchen for breakfast or her room without so much as an awkward glance. 

It was… comfortable. Like the way he could now come to Keith if he was struggling with maneuvers or feeling displaced within the team.   
He could pull Pidge aside to work on hand to hand combat while Matt, Shiro and Hunk worked to modify his blast cannon. Luckily they hadn’t seen the first time she pinned him down, bayard blade to his throat as her knees held his arms by his head. He had a great view from the ground, looking up a sweat rolled down both of their faces. 

Pidge had stopped cutting her hair, so it was long enough to pull her hair into a small ponytail at the crown of her head, she’d forgone her tank top half an hour ago, now just wearing a black sports bra and the black pants they wore under their suits. She’d chuckled as he glared at her, eyes assessing their stance for a method of escape. “Pinned ya” She muttered.

Unluckily, the pair had everyone’s attention as Lance was able to flip them, knocked the blade from her hand only to receive a knee to the gut and be pinned on his stomach, a triumphant Pidge grinning from where she sat on his back, hand linking his hands behind his back. Usually Lance would have been embarrassed, trying to excuse his losses in order to save face. Instead he was distracted by the weight of Pidge on top of him, body warm from the work out. “Pinned ya again!” She howled, watching him attempt to wiggle free before getting up and helping him to his feet. 

“Did you just quote The Lion King?” He questioned, only receiving a wink as she grabbed her water pouch and took a long pull. He watched as she poured some water into her hand, rubbing it along the back of her neck before adjusting her hair. She caught him staring, snapping out if his stupor when she flicked the remnants of her water at him. 

“Hellooo? Earth to space ranger Lance. Did I give you a concussion or something?” She quirked an eyebrow, yelling over to Matt to come check him for injury.

“I’m fine! I just need a shower. My brains just… overheating.” Matt joined the ‘Squint At Lance’ club as he came to stand next to Pidge. He refused to let him leave without giving him a brief look over, testing his eye tracking and balance before clearing him. As Lance left he overheard Matt teasing his sister about her being the stronger Holt while he was the smarter, followed by a loud yelp, which he could only assumed was Pidge’s foot finding Matt’s shin. 

He tried not to overthink the shift in the relationships between the Paladins; tried to anyways. Since Matt was back, Shiro and him often paired off to plan. Hunk and   
Pidge were still their mechanics and tech workers. More often than not Keith was training with the Blade and then there was Lance, often the face of Voltron with Princess Allura when they had to build relationships, otherwise floating around Pidge and Hunk. It wasn’t as stressful as when they’d lost Shiro, but the dynamic was still off somehow. Lance couldn’t tell how, but he could feel it when they were together.

He’d showered and dressed with plenty of time before the evening meal, but plans to decompress where thwarted when Allura’s voice came over the intercom, beckoning them to the control room at once. Said princess was standing at her post, hands behind her back as she ended a video stream with an unknown species. 

“Paladins! Wonderful news. We have been invited by the Flowracian Royals to attend a gala in order to build intergalactic alliances!” Lance looked at Hunk and Pidge, attempting and failing to mouth out the species name. Both shook their heads before ignoring him in order give their attention to the still raving Princess. “Shiro, I’ll ask you to escort myself so Coran can maintain the Castle in our absence. Due to familial relations, I believe Lance should act as escort for Pidge. Although they did not limit the number of guests, it might be best that Hunk and Matt stay behind in case of ambush.” She clapped excitedly to herself, walking over to Pidge and taking the small girl’s hands in her own. 

“Have you ever attended a gala before?” Upon Pidge’s shaking her head, an almost inhuman squeal escape Allura, the rest of the crew taking a step back. “KATIE” She yelled, dropping the nickname in favor for her rarely used birth name. “Oh my dear girl, I’ll help you prepare. I’ll have the castle make a dress, we can style your hair, apply makeup” 

Allura was almost vibrating with exciting, Pidge pulling at her hands in hopes of escape. She looked at the others, eyes wide asking for help. Instead she was met with twin grins from Matt and Lance. 

“I think that it an excellent idea, your highness.” Matt cut in, Allura pausing her ranting to direct her attention to him. “And since my dear baby sister has never attended any sort of gala or ball before, so you may also need to teach her how to dance.”

“MATT!” Pidge shrieked, followed by a slew of violent ins as all attention was directed back to her. 

“It’s settled then. After dinner, we’ll hold a class on proper royal behaviors. This will be much different than your Voltron performances and I do not want you to embarrass yourselves. Katie,” Again, Allura used the birth name, Pidge physically cringing. The reaction was not missed by Lance, making a mental note to talk to   
Allura alone about the use of it. “You’ll come with me, we only have a quintet to get ready!”

The princess finished barking orders, pulling Pidge with her towards the royal wing of the castle in order to begin preparing before the evening meal. They were given a short reprieve between dinner and Allura summoning them again, this time to the training room. Instead of her usual gown, she and Pidge met the boys in their training gear, sans armor. The stark contrast in their expressions, Allura excited and Pidge already looking incredibly done with all of them, had the boys fighting not to laugh. 

“We’ll start with formalities!” Allura’s grin turned devious. “And then we dance.”   
As it were, Lance already knew how to dance. Not that anyone on the ship knew about this hidden talent. “I have three older sisters, and several older cousins. That’s a whole lot of quinceaneras.” He shrugged nonchalantly, taking over teaching Pidge to follow his lead while Allura fussed at Shiro about being off beat. 

“Shiro, Mr. Best-At-Everything, can’t dance. Go figure.” Pidge mused, letting Lance lead her in a slow waltz around the training deck. They’d gone over hand placements earlier, hands held on one side while Pidge opted to keep her other hand on Lance’s bicep, Lance hand resting innocently on her lower back. “Any other secret talents we don’t know about?” She asked, eyebrow cocked as the song Allura had playing over the loud speakers changed to something faster. 

“Eh. I’m great at burning water? Always off key? OH! I can say the alphabet backwards!”

“Really?” She asked, genuinely intrigued.

“Nope. The dancing is really it.” He grinned, as though an idea had struck him. “But if you wanna piss off Allura, I can do a few dance tricks that she’d be envious of?” Pidge agreed, but not without reasonable hesitation. Turns out a lot of the tricks involved Lance tossing her around and her just using muscle strength to not look like a rag doll. 

Roughly an hour later, Shiro had finally gotten down the basic steps for a few dances, and Lance was teaching Pidge the more complex moves of a jive and was throwing her picking her up and spinning her mid-waltz. The two devolved into giggles towards the end of hour, Pidge screaming in shock the first time Lance had thrown her straight up in front of him and wrapped his arms around her legs at the knee, her hands on his shoulders to stabilize them as he spun her. Nervous laughter escaped her after the first few successful moves, as the realization sunk in that Lance wasn’t going to drop her or let her fall. 

“I think we’re ready” Allura huffed, interrupting the younger paladins, who were waltzing slowly off in their own world as Lance talked about a routine he’d come up with his middle sister (Serena) for their oldest sister’s (Becca) quince.   
They hadn’t realized how close their bodies were until Allura’s voice brought them back to reality, chests almost touching as they swayed together, faces far too close for normal conversation. The two jumped apart almost in sync, eyes wide as Pidge’s face went light pink and Lance coughed awkwardly. 

“Lance, tell Matt and Hunk that we won’t have team training tomorrow. We’ll start preparing around midday and ship out near the Flowracian sundown.” Shiro ordered before bowing towards Allura, lesson number two she’d taught them in formalities, before exiting the training deck. The other’s following behind, Pidge and Lance refusing to look at one another as they headed back to their dorms. 

Lance definitely did not spend half his night thinking about his fellow Paladin. Definitely not. He didn’t think about how close they’d gotten, how comfortable he felt around her, how her eyes seemed to shine brightest when she was laughing. None of that. Teammates needed to be close, that’s how the Lions were able to bond and that’s what made them such a well oiled, Galra butt-kicking machine. Right?

Allura and Pidge might as well have poofed, the rest of the team hadn’t seen them all day as they prepared for the gala. Coran ordered the castle to make appropriate outfits for the boys, closets opening in each individual’s room to reveal something not too far from Earth formal wear. They were in earth tones, opposed to black and white he was used to seeing as formal wear, and the coat tails were so long they nearly swept the floor, but otherwise they fit perfectly. 

Lance was happy the accessories came in the form of simple leather cuff bracelets with silver bead work, no tie or bows around the neck to constrict his breathing. And he was able to fit his bayard in the inner pockets of his coat. Hopefully he wouldn’t need it, but it never hurt to be prepared. The men assembled in the control room first, Coran, Hunk and Matt in their normal gear while Shiro’s outfit looked similar to Lances. There were some small difference, the beads on his cuffs were gold instead of silver, matching leather cords acted as a necklace around his neck, and the colors used were earthy but more maroons and oranges to Lance’s grays and greens. But otherwise, they made quite the pair. 

“Ready to woo some royals?” He asked, wiggling his eyebrows at Shiro. He’d been trying to keep his mind off a certain paladin for most of the day, finding way to keep   
his mind on the mission at hand and not the confusing jumble that came with thinking of her. Flirty Lance he could do, romance some random aliens, have them begging for his attention. And then a flash of Pidge’s laughing face would cross his mind and he’d suddenly feel… guilty? He couldn’t really place the emotion, but the idea of flirting with strangers suddenly lost its appeal. 

The elder man sighed, two fingers coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose, warding off a headache that’d been threatening him all day. “This is a diplomatic mission, Lance. Just focus on representing Voltron. And let Allura do most of the talking.”

The doors swooshed open behind his as he finished talking, Allura stepping out of the transporter with a smile on her face. Her dress was a deep maroon, with cap sleeves falling off her shoulders, bodice accentuating her waistline while a full skirt blossomed down from her waist. There was a gold choker around her throat that seemed to match the gold in Shiro’s accessories. Lance glanced behind her, frowning when he realized she was alone. Heels clicked across the floor as the princess made her way over to her escorts. She wore simple makeup, natural in most ways except the maroon lips that matched the dress. 

“Pidge is meeting is at the docking bay, she wanted to stop by her room before we left.” She informed the pair, looping her hands through the arm Shiro offered her.   
Lance nodded, turning to the rest of the team as Allura addressed their crew. “We all have communication mointers in our ears. If you suspect any funny business, just tell us and we’ll return. Same goes for if there is an attack here. Am I clear?” It was strange how a being so ethereal could also be the scariest woman he’d ever met, right after his mother, Lance thought, watching the crew nod and salute her. They tested to make sure everyone’s devices were in proper working order, then set off for the hanger. 

Lance felt the air leave his lungs when he saw Pidge, who was standing awkwardly next to the open door of the transport vehicle they were using to get to the gala. 

She was fidgeting with the silver bangles that adorned her wrist, eyes widening when she saw them enter the hanger before looking away. She wore a silver choker, matching Allura’s in style and Lance’s accessories in color. 

Her hair was long enough now that Allura was able to wrap a few intricate braid around her head like a crown, gems catching the light when Pidge moved her head.   
Her makeup was natural as well, enhancing the feminine feature of her face that were usually blocked by Matt’s glasses. Her dress was unlike Allura’s though, a deep olive green that matched Lances outfit, sleeveless and attached to the choker. It modestly covered the front of her body, but as she turned away, it formed a bow on her lower back, with her back an exposed canvas of pale skin. Even in all her petite glory, she looked just ethereal as Allura.

“I’d appreciate if you’d stop gawking, Lance” She barked defensively as the trio finally reached her. “I realized I look ridiculous.”

“I wouldn’t say that” Lance was still a little dumbfounded, wondering how he hadn’t seen Pidge look like this in the last year of them fighting this war.   
She began to ramble, voice pitching up slightly. “What then? Absurd? Deranged? Utterly and extraordinarily-“ 

“Beautiful” Lance cut her off, sincerity ringing in his tone. Pidge went to bury her face in her hands only for Allura to grab her wrist, threatening bodily harm if Pidge ruined her makeup. The younger woman glared for a moment for caving, sighing deeply and accepting the arm Lance offered her as they entered the vehicle. 

“I could still flip you in this outfit” She mumbled, purposefully avoiding the compliment that had stopped her griping in its track. 

“Oh I have no doubt about that” Lance beamed, leading her to her seat before joining Shiro at the helm and preparing for takeoff.   
It was when he looked back to make sure they were set, seeing Pidge laughing quietly at some joke Allura had made, face soft as she scrunched her nose before replying with her own joke, that Lance realized he was completely screwed. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Turns out most royals like to party the same way, regardless of planet or species. The gala was already in full swing when the four arrived in the grand foyer of the Flowracian palace. The species looked vaguely humanoid, even though the shortest one in the room still towered over Shiro by at least half a foot. They weren’t an unattractive species, although what would be their hair was more reminiscent of flower petals, in various shapes and colors. Bright green and gold eyes followed then as they were lead into the main hall, where several taller, more regal looking Flowracians sat and watched their guests socialize and intermingle. 

Music played softly across the hall from a live band off to one corner, both masculine and feminine looking individuals were carrying around platters of unfamiliar foods and beverages. Joys of constantly interacting with new species, gendering really wasn’t a thing for 90% of trhe planets they visited. Allura had warned them on the way over that while Flowracians were a completely vegan society, but the team would have no way of knowing how human bodies would react to the plant life on this planet, so they should avoid eating anything.

They were brought before the royal court, introduced as the “Illustrious Paladins of Voltron”, and allowed Allura to grace the court with her Not At All Rehearsed speech on the benefits of Intergalactic Alliances and bringing down the Galra Empire. Pidge ended up elbowing him in ribs when he inevitably started mouthing along with the speech. It was relatively easy to foster friendship at this point. The Flowracians readily agreeing to assist in times of need, raising glasses of pinkish drinks to cheers before welcoming the team to join the rest of the festivities. 

Lance kept a protective arm around Pidge’s waist as they began to intermingle with the rest of the party guest, the Flowracians crowding around them, commenting in broken English watching the victories of Voltron and talking about the physically differences between the paladins and themselves. Guess when your skin tones range from light to dark green, Pidge’s pale coloring was exotic. One of the more English fluent individuals had taking her hand in theirs to examine the bangles, eyes flitting to the cuffs Lance wore, smirking as she chittered something to the others in their language before switching back to English to address the pair. 

“I see you two are mates, I’m curious if human mating routines similar to ours? Are you a monogamous culture or are the other two here part of your mateship as well?” She asked, voice light as both paladin stared at her, processing the question. When it clicked, they both sputtered, quickly correcting that they were just friends and teammates. It took a few tries of them speaking over each other, stuttering through explanations, and the crowd around them seemed skeptical still. Lance made an excuse about having business to attend to, pulling Pidge aside with him. They reached an outer wall of the hall, breathing as they broke through the crowd. Lance dropped the arm on her waist, missing how Pidge’s shoulders sagged a little in response. 

“Is it me or is it weirdly floral in here?” He mused, leaning against the wall, relaxing for the first time since they enter the palace. It was trying to be casual, trying to move away from the questions and assumptions of the other guests. 

“Yeah, I wonder if they realize the irony of their name damn near being flowers and looking like flowers and this entire planet apparently smells like a basket of roses.   
I wonder if they even know what “flowers” are?” She asked, eyeballing the crowd as it shifted and moved around the room. They fell into silence, not ‘awkward’ per say, but not as comfortable as they were used to. Lance grabbed two glasses from a passing waiter, full of the same pinkish drink from earlier. Passing one to Pidge, they drank, consequences be damned. He felt a rush of warm run through his chest before it settled in his stomach, considerably less unnerved as the warmth coursed through his body. 

Pidge slumped against the wall, nursing her own drink and experiencing the same physical response. It was different than being ‘drunk’ or the reaction they usually had to the Nunvill. It was just… comfortable. Or at least slightly more than before. They stood there for a while, drinking through another glass each as they people watched and made as many flower puns as they could think of, laughing quietly enough to not draw attention to their antics. 

Allura found them there, bubbly from the beverages herself, pulling them into the middle of the dance floor as she begged Lance to show off for the small crowd they’d drawn the attention of. Ever the showman, he help a hand out to Pidge, who took it with a smile and let him twirl her as they were given space. The live music picked up, both in tone and tempo, as the two broke out the waltz they were practicing last night. 

She tried to block out the fact half the room was staring at them as Lance lead, hands clasped on one side, her hand warm on his clothed bicep on the other. He pulled her closer as they turned, voice whispering in her ear to relax before pulling away again. She listened, shoulders releasing the tension she didn’t realize she was holding, allowing him pick her up with a firm arm holding her waist and spin her backwards as she tucked her legs at the knee, slightly out of reflex. 

When he dropped her back down, bringing her close to her body again, faces close as they caught their breath, small bouts of laughter escaping as they resumed the simple footwork Lance taught her. The music slowed, energy of the room calming considerably, before stopping completely. The next song started up, and they began painfully aware that several pairs of eyes were on them. In response, Lance pulled Pidge out of the crowd and towards one of the door heading out to the balcony aside the royal court. Allura and Shiro watched their escape, smiling but saying nothing about it as they went back to the conversation they were stuck in. 

Outside was quieter, music wafting outside but considerably less intrusive as they found themselves near the railing overlooking the lush forests surrounding the castle. Lance refused to let go of Pidge’s hand, moving to interlace their fingers without comment. This silence between them was the comfort they were used to, shared smiles as Pidge leaned against Lance’s side, enjoying the feeling of him squeezing their joined hands reassuringly. 

She was almost afraid to talk, afraid it would ruin this perfect illusion, ruin whatever bond they were forming. They watched foreign animals rummage around in the trees below them, listened to conversations on the other side of the balcony, in a language they couldn’t understand. It was Lance who broke the quiet first, Pidge looking up when he cleared his throat. 

“What are you gonna do after this?” He didn’t look at her, eyes still downcast at the trees over the railing. 

“Uh,” She processed, trying to figure out exactly what ‘this’ was. “We’ll go back to the castle, shower and probably wait until the next assault, I assume?” Definitely not an answer, instead posing a question of her own. 

“No,” He smiled before finally looking at her “I mean after this war. After Zarkon’s armies are gone, after everyone is free and doesn’t need Voltron anymore.” He didn’t break eye contact, watching Pidge blink as she tried to formulate some kind of answer. 

“I… don’t know. Go home, I assume. Take Matt and Dad back to my mom, go back to school? I have no idea. I guess it’s easier not to think about it, it’s easier to just focus on right now.” She shrugged, feeling him squeeze her hand again before opening his mouth to respond, only to snap it shut, eyes narrowing as he listened, head cocked slightly to the side. She followed suit, stilling to listen as well. 

“Hairs on the back of your neck standing up?” He verified. 

“Yup. Something evil this way comes” She took his hand from his, going to her hip only to realize she was weaponless, the dress not allowing her to carry a blaster. See, this is why dresses where evil. A ship appeared overhead with a loud sound, cloaking devices disengaging as Galra soldiers dropped from the sky like rain. 

“Lance, I don’t have a weapon.” She informed him, watching as Lance pulled his own blaster from his belt under his jacket. He looked back at her, eyes wide, before turning to an approaching Galra and shooting, body falling over the railing. He watched as more made their way inside, screaming engulfing the room as Lance tried assess the situation. Shiro had a weapon, he wasn’t sure about Allura. 

“Coran, the gala has been ambushed, bring backup immediately!” Allura’s rang through the com in his ear. Coran’s affirmation came through loud and clear, saying it’d take roughly three dobash to get to them.

“Guys, we’re outside on the balcony and Pidge doesn’t have a weapon” Lance got out before firing another blast at oncoming Galra solider. He freed one hand to push Pidge behind him, surprise allowing him to over power her as she let out an indignant squeak. 

“I can help! We’ve been practicing hand to hand!” Lance could barely hear her over the blood rushing through his ears, brain trying to figure out how to best protect her and keep the Flowracians safe. “LANCE” Her scream brought his attention to her, head turned slightly as he continued to pick off soldiers. 

“Over my dead body you’re engaging anyone” He snapped, leading her to climb the rail and jump on the cement awning before climbing to the roof, gaining the higher ground. “We have two minutes until backup arrives we just have to wait until the Lions can get here and clean house.” Pidge stood behind him on the roof, stance wide so gravity wouldn’t send them toppling back down into the chaos below. She kept her eyes on the sky, scanning for signs of the castle or lions entering atmosphere. Lance’s body jerked subtlety with every shot he fired, shoulders jerking from kick back, she hated feeling useless when she was so capable of helping usually. 

Hearing a footstep behind her, she turned to find an unfamiliar Galra commander on the roof with him, grinning widely at them from above. “Well well, the paladins of Voltron. Who would have thought we’d find you here.” He took in both of their appearance, grin twisting in realization. “And how underdressed you are. This can only mean the rest of your troop is either here or on their way, so we should finish our mission quickly.” He leveled his blasted at them, Pidge felt an arm wrap tightly around her waist as he squeezed the trigger. 

The next few moments seemed to blur together, one moment they were on the roof, the next they were on the balcony again, pain radiating from her back from the fall and the weight on top of her. Lance had spun them, taking the blast while also firing one of his own, sending the commander flying off the other side of the roof.   
Pidge fought the urge to push him off, instead rolling out from under, moving to kneel next to where he lay on his stomach, looking over the wound. Which was her first mistake, his clothes were soaked through red, half his back was marred with burnt tissues and blood continued to seep through the wound into what remained of his outfit. 

“Lance?” His eyes were open, responsive to her voice, but not all together there. Shock, her mind briefly supplied. Her finger went to her ear, activating her own comm. 

“Guys, Lance is down. Matt you need to get here NOW.” She could hear the shake in her voice, moving to grab Lance’s hand again. “Lance you have to stay with me. You’re gonna be okay, just… just don’t fall asleep okay?” He squeezed her hand lightly, face turning to look at her.

“I’m glad you’re okay.” He smiled, face pale as he let it rest against the tiles of the balcony. “I did say over my dead body, didn’t I?” He tried to joke, face contorting in pain after a small wink. Chaos still raged around them, soldiers moving in and out of the palace but the world seemed to fade around them, Pidge wholly focused on her downed teammate. 

“Shut up, you’re not going to die. Matt is coming, we’ll get you in a cryopod and you’ll be fine.” She wasn’t sure who she was trying to reassure more with that, him or herself. “You need to stop throwing yourself in the way to save people.”

“Only do it with the people I care about.” His breathing became labors as pain started to overtake him. “Katie,” He began, tears beginning to gather in her eyes at the use of her real name. “If I don’t make it, I want you to kn-“ 

“Shut up!” She snapped, both hands clasped around his as she could hear the Castle enter atmosphere from above them. Winds whipped around them, glass and other debris blowing along with her dress and the hair that had escaped its styled braid. The edges of Lance’s vision started to blacken, quieting as she glanced above them to verify it was backup for them and not the Galra soldiers. 

“You’re not going to die so you can just shut up. You’ll be okay.” Her voice was quieter, shaking slightly as footsteps started heading towards them. The last thing he saw before the pain overtook him was her tears beginning to roll down her cheeks, although she did not seem aware of their presence. There was a determination in her eyes, mouth a thin line as Matt ran up behind them and took his hands out of her, darkness engulfing him and silencing the pain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lance woke up in one of the cryopod, blinking before attempting to walk out after the door opens swished open. The healing pods always seemed to take a moment to recover from, something about the process of healing left vision blurred and limbs slightly numb. Thinking he’d got his footing, he took a step forwards only to stumble, arms flailing as he fell directly into a smaller body. 

Said smaller body tried and failed to keep them up upright, Pidge groaning against his shoulder as he landed mostly on top of her on the floor. “Lay off the food goo cookies” She grumbled, pushing him off and up to sit back against the nearby control station.  
Lance closed his eyes for a moment, hoping the world would stop spinning. It took a minute or two for everything to stabilize before he could open his eyes and direct his attention to his teammate. 

“I told you you’d be fine.” Pidge jumped right in, tone less angry than it usually was when she fussed at him. “Fucking idiot. I told you I could handle it, you didn’t have to take the shot” She continued her scolding, moving so she was sitting on her knees, facing him at eye level. Instead of fighting back, he just smiled softly as he watched various facial expression dance across her face, ending with her eyes narrowing menacingly on him. “You’re still on a cryo-high, aren’t you?” 

“Maybe. I’m also just happy that you’re okay enough to nag at me.” Pidge’s face started to pink at his comments. “Next time I’ll let you get hit, I just didn’t want you or your dress to get ruined.” He teased, reaching out to one of her hands and interlacing their fingers. “But if you have some major declaration to make while on the brink of death, I won’t interrupt you. That was very rude of you.” 

“I knew you’d be fine, I didn’t want you making some kind of love confession just because you thought you’d get out of it if you died!” Her tone was increasing steadily, refusing to meet his eyes as she spoke. 

“Well I’m not dying now. So I like you. Love you? I might be in love with you, but right now I just know that I want to be with you. I want to protect you and play video games late into the night and make sure you feel valued an-“ He was cut off as Pidge leaned forward and met his lips, promptly shutting him up as he kissed her back. When they pulled apart, he moved to rest his forehead on hers, eyes closed again. “And do that. A lot.” 

“Hard same.” She muttered, chuckling when he opened his eyes to squint at her. “I mean, I feel the same way. I want all of that too. I didn’t want to make anything awkward or ruin the team dynamic by saying something. And for a while there I thought you were in love with Keith so I thought maybe I was misreading it but….” She trailed off, fidgeting with their interlaced fingers. 

“But you were right.” Lance grinned before leaning forward to kiss her again, taking a moment before brushing his tongue against her bottom lip. Instead of the makeout session he thought this was heading towards, she squeaked at the motion, pulling away lightning fast, facing away almost like she was surprised by her own reaction. He looked confused, worried he’d pushed too far too soon, but looked at her wide eyes and the small smile at hadn’t completely left her face. He grinned as realization hit him. “Pidge… was this your first kiss?” She didn’t response, didn’t look up, but the increasing color on her face enough of an answer. “IT WAS!” He definitely did not squeal as tackled her to the floor, kissing her cheeks as they devolved into giggle fits. 

Most of the team accepted the information of Pidge and Lance with a no problem. Except Matt. It couldn’t all be easy. It was particular Uneasy when Matt decided to ruin completely innocent post mission couch cuddles with his ungodly screaming about Lance “defiling his sweet baby sister”. Never mind they were both clothed, Shiro was reading his tablet on the other end of the couch, and they were literally just holding each other, on the verge of napping, on the common couch. 

“If we ignore him, he’ll stop. It was the same when I stole his blueprints as a kid.” Pidge muttered, face buried in the warmth of Lance’s neck. She was lucky, she got to burrito in his jacket, tucked between Lance and the couch, completely shielded from the maniac currently threatening very unrealistic actions towards the Blue Paladin. 

“Or I could throw something at him?” He asked, face comfortably squished between the couch pillow and the top of Pidge’s head. “If I hit him hard enough, he may forget we exist all together.”

“Won’t work, tried it when he found my diary once.” She grumbled, breathe warm on his skin. They’d come to find that she ran naturally warm to Lance’s unnaturally low body temperature, so cuddles were ideal until one of them started kicking. “Now shut up, its nap time.”

Lance just closed his eyes, recalling years of ignoring his own siblings in order to get back to that happy-floaty pre-nap feeling. Shiro finally steered the elder Holt out of the room, consoling Matt has he sobbed complete nonsense to their leader. With a sigh he snuggled back down, smiling as he finally fell asleep.


End file.
